Universal's Cabana Bay Beach Resort 2018
I saw the concept for Orlando’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort years ago on Entertainment Tonight – back when I watched the show religiously. From the minute I saw it, I knew I wanted to stay there one day. Took a good number of years, but I made it in February 2018. We were going to Harry Potter World at Universal Studios and Cabana Bay is an on-site hotel for the parks. The resort was everything I was expecting when I saw its concept and more. It’s huge and sprawling in the best way. The entrance lobby is sky high with windows and through them you can see one of two huge swimming pools – the one with the water slide – as you check in. The check-in counter is long with a good number of staff and it was an easy process. There are 5 guest room towers and the main building which has a Starbucks, bar, bowling alley, arcade, food court and gift shop. Yes, I said bowling alley and arcade.
We stayed in the Americana tower in a room overlooking the pool. Beautiful to look down on with its sandy beach and winding lazy river. Directly across from us was the Continental tower. The hotel is styled in a 1950’s – ‘60’s retro fashion and as you look down at the pool and see people floating on colorful tubes, the surrounding buildings, and poolside restaurant you feel that time period. Palm trees, plants, walkways, and fire pits all add to the relaxing view. We could see the Universal Studios park from our room. At night, we could see the top of the Islands of Adventures volcano lit up in purple and it added magic to the night view we had of the backlit pool and courtyards.
Loved the vintage styled rooms. The orange, white, and turquoise décor helped to immerse you in those long ago decades. Picture the Jetsons when you switch on the lamp shades. It’s that cool. The toiletries are even Zest soap and VO5 shampoo and conditioner. Been so long I forgot about those and their commercials too.
Our main goal on our trip was Harry Potter World so our days were spent at the park, but we found at least 2 hours a day to play in the pool. You can pick up lunch or dinner at a poolside restaurant and eat right by the water. Nice surprise since I thought you’d have to stay in the restaurant area and that would be hard to keep an eye on your kids since their goal is to be underwater. We switched back and forth between the massive pools yet favored the lazy river one most with its sandy beach and lounge chairs. Gave us the resort experience. We enjoyed walking into the hotel straight from the “beach” to either the walkway to your room or the large food court.
Speaking of food. The Bayliner Diner food court is big as a whole. The seating area is, again, a retro vibe with crescent shaped booths and lots of tables surrounded by suspended tv screens showing nostalgic ads. You forget about the fun commercials there were when you or your parents were growing up. It was a walk down memory lane to see Spam, Count Chocula cereal, Tang “the drink of astronauts”, the Jolly Green Giant and more playing on the wall while you eat. We mainly ate at the Bayliner Diner except for one poolside lunch at the Hideaway Bar & Grill because we were on the go and it was convenient. Ideal too if you have pickier eaters since there’s a lot of choice. Entrees are available along with to go items. You can wander down early in the morning until late at night. There are other restaurants where you can dine and a very welcome sight in a hotel – a full Starbucks café.
Cabana Bay helped us out with Universal Studios activities. The resort offers a desk dedicated to Orlando sites and we purchased our park tickets and received advice on visiting the venues. The shuttle service from the hotel arrived on time and we had no problems riding back and forth. You might have a 15 minute wait between shuttle arrivals but it’s minimal compared to other hotels where we’ve stayed before. You can also choose to walk from the resort. When you walk to Universal Studios, you’ll pass through CityWalk where you’ll find restaurants and stores open until late hours. A great place to shop or eat while you travel to and from the parks.
Our Cabana Bay Resort experience was amazing. I cannot finish my review without talking about the staff. Everyone we encountered from the check-in desk to security was extremely professional. They were well informed and did not blink at quirky inquiries. For example, “We lost a Halloween themed sock somewhere in the food court tonight. It is black with a glow in the dark skull and polka dots on it.” Security or lost and found took my call in stride. We didn’t find our sock, but talking to them on the phone was pleasant. They didn’t even seem to mind when we called them the next day to again inquire about the missing sock. The cashiers in the Bayliner Diner were nice and answered resort questions while you paid for your meal. We didn’t find one staffer that couldn’t answer a question or wasn’t willing to hunt the solution down. I can confidently tell you that isn’t always the case when you travel. They made our visit a memorable one along with the hotel amenities. We’re planning to return to Universal soon and our stay will be booked again at Cabana Bay. Although, this time, along with our trips to Harry Potter World we’ll build in an extra day or two to relax by the pool. And check out the bowling alley and arcade.
